Something to Rely On
by DharmaMotorPool
Summary: Two drabbles and a short one-shot inspired by "Colorblind", "Half Moon Bay", and "Somewhere Only We Know".


**A/N: So, the first two little ones are a product of my putting iTunes on shuffle and writing whatever came to my head. The third was a request by my beloved wifey, LornaCat. Enjoy!**

_**I am colorblind  
>Coffee black and egg white<br>Pull me out from inside  
>I am ready<br>I am ready  
>I am ready<br>I am  
>taffy stuck and tongue-tied.<strong>_

The only color he saw was blue.

In the first moment his lips melded to hers, every other color in the world faded to black and white. All the brilliant hues of the sunset paled in comparison. The rich greens of the lush jungle surrounding their new habitat went unnoticed, failing to impress him. There was no color that mattered anymore. Only blue.

Only her eyes.

Only _her_.

_**You save my life with every word you say  
>You shine your light for me to find a way<br>Just hold me tight and cross your heart to stay  
>Here with me<br>Born to be  
>Every part of you in Half Moon Bay<strong>_

All she had to do was say his name.

She'd saved him more than once just by doing so. Her voice soothed him. Her smile warmed him. Her kiss overjoyed him. He could never lose his way if he had her hand in his.

He'd never known love could feel like this. He'd never known _love_, not truly, until he loved _her_.

She kept him grounded. She was his lifeline. His partner, in crime and otherwise. His missing piece. His best friend.

Everything that came before her was so far gone it felt like a dream. She was all he needed, for the rest of his life. He wanted to stay with her, here, forever.

He'd make her his wife someday, he knew this beyond a shadow of a doubt. He'd never wanted that before. Never even thought about _thinking_ about wanting it. He wanted so many things, but most importantly, he wanted them with her. Only her. Always her.

He hoped to whatever god was above him that she'd always know that. 

_**Oh simple thing  
>Where have you gone<br>I'm getting old and I need something to rely on  
>So tell me when<br>You're gonna let me in  
>I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin<br>And if you have a minute why don't we go  
>Talk about it somewhere only we know<br>This could be the end of everything  
>So why don't we go<br>Somewhere only we know**_

"Hey," James greeted his new roommate, who was sitting on their porch, gazing at the place she'd called home for three years. It felt like a different place now. A foreign place.

"Hey," she replied, the corners of her lips turning slightly upward.

James sat beside her, trying to see what she was seeing. "Somethin' interesting out there?"

Juliet chuckled, shaking her head, "Not particularly. I was just thinking."

"What about?"

"Just—when I lived here before, it was different. The people, the atmosphere...it's completely different now. Less—"

"Creepy?" James suggested.

This prompted a genuine laugh from Juliet. "Exactly," she agreed. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, she wasn't sure how much time passed. She couldn't believe he'd convinced her to stay beyond the two weeks she'd agreed to. Then again, in some ways, it didn't seem surprising at all. After getting to know more about him in those two weeks, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to go somewhere he wasn't going to be.

"Wanna go for a walk?" he inquired suddenly.

Juliet's eyebrow arched, "A walk to where?"

James shrugged, "I dunno. But I ain't much for sittin' around 'til they decide where to put us to work."

"Are you making fun of me, James?" she asked with a smirk.

He chuckled, "I didn't mean it like that. Whattaya say?"

Juliet stood and held out her hand, offering to help him up. He grasped it and pulled. "Thanks, Blondie."

"What did I tell you about that nickname?" she teased, feigning annoyance.

"That it's _degrading and entirely unoriginal_," he said, mocking her with a grin, "But I like it. Suits you."

"Gee, wonder why that is?" she quipped, unable to hide her smile any longer.

"Hey now, no makin' fun," he playfully reminded her.

She chuckled as they began walking away from Dharmaville, seemingly unaware that their hands were still joined. They walked in silence for a while, until they reached a clearing by the stream. A fallen tree provided a convenient bench, and they sat. Juliet retracted her hand from his to adjust her ponytail, and he found himself disappointed at the loss of her warmth.

"It's nice being able to _walk_ through the jungle for a change," she mused, "No running from smoke monsters or flaming arrows. It's peaceful. I spent so much time hating this place that I forgot to appreciate how beautiful it can be."

James smiled, taking back her hand. "That's funny. I spent so much time wishin' Kate wanted me that I didn't see what was right in front of my face."

Juliet felt her breath hitch in her throat, her heart rate picking up. "Really? Because I spent a lot of time wishing the same thing about Jack, when—"

"What I needed was there all along," James finished for her. They stared at each other with wide, curious eyes. "These past two weeks—I asked you to stay because I was afraid of bein' alone, but I didn't expect—when I'm with you, it's—I feel—"

"Happy," she finished in a whisper, smiling a smile that melted his insides. "Kiss me, James," she requested softly.

"You got it, Blondie," he affirmed, and she grinned as he pressed his lips to hers. Her left hand moved to the back of his head, her right still entwined with his left.

When the kiss ended—seconds or minutes or hours later, they weren't sure—they remained close, her forehead resting against his. "I like this place," she told him softly, smiling and giving his hand a squeeze.

"It's all ours, Blondie," he told her, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

Years later—they weren't sure how many, but that didn't really matter—a bright white light brought them back to that place. Back to the house they'd shared in Dharmaville, back to all the people they loved, back to each other, and to _happiness_.


End file.
